Members' work
Jane Townsley
Five bodies of work in gender-responsive policing — from the British Transport Police Olympic and Paralympic operation to global guidance on police responses to violence against women and girls.
GCG Consortium · Member portfolio
United Kingdom
Statement
In Jane's words
I have been fortunate to benefit from many opportunities throughout my policing career, during my involvement with IAWP and subsequently as a consultant. These have enabled me not only to share some of my lived experience and learning for the benefit of others, many of whom have fewer opportunities or resources than those I have enjoyed, but also to learn from others and experience many diverse cultures. I believe that celebrating International Women's Day is important to recognise the commitment and resilience of women in policing globally, who despite ongoing challenges continue to serve their communities diligently, improving access to justice for all. This is particularly pertinent this year, with the 2026 theme being Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.
Work 01 · Major event policing
Lead operational planner, British Transport Police Olympic and Paralympic programme
- British Transport Police
- Five-year programme
- £24.9m budget
- £5.81m efficiencies
- Formal commendation
Jane's final position before retirement was project manager and lead operational planner for the British Transport Police (BTP) Olympic and Paralympic project — a five-year programme with a total budget of £24.9 million. Her team delivered BTP's largest ever policing operation within what was the UK's largest ever peacetime security operation.
The role covered every area of event planning: resources, logistics, briefings, testing and exercising, communications and media, staff welfare, command and control systems, structures and processes, community engagement, and counter-terrorism and search. Jane managed the delivery of all aspects of the operation and, at its conclusion, produced a detailed debrief report so that lessons were captured for future major-event planning. The operation succeeded at the same time as efficiencies were being identified, producing overall savings of £5.81 million; Jane received a formal commendation for the achievement.
Work 02 · Gender in policing
Lived experience of gender in policing, organisational to national level
- UK policing Gender Agenda
- BAWP
- IAWP board — 24 years
- President, six years
- Lifetime Achievement Award
Jane's policing career gave her in-depth lived experience of gender in policing at both organisational and national levels. She was involved in developing and implementing UK policing's Gender Agenda, which transformed women's roles within the service. Throughout her career she worked on the issues that particularly affect women in policing, representing their perspective on committees within her force, nationally on behalf of the British Association for Women in Policing (BAWP), and internationally as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Women Police (IAWP). Following her retirement in June 2013 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BAWP.
For over 24 years Jane has been involved at board level with the IAWP, giving her deep exposure to gender and diversity in policing worldwide. Her IAWP roles — including six years as President — have involved engaging a wide range of audiences and stakeholders, up to and including government ministers.
Work 03 · Knowledge products and policy
Knowledge products and policy advice
- 12+ years international
- UN Women
- EAPCCO
- INTERPOL
- Kosovo · Ukraine
- Elsie Initiative
Since retiring from policing in 2013, Jane has accumulated more than twelve years of international experience in gender and policing through consultancy work, providing expert advice, capacity building and training, including in post-conflict and conflict-affected environments. She has developed several knowledge products with international organisations. Three examples: the UN Women Global Handbook on Gender-Responsive Police Services for Women and Girls Subject to Violence; the EAPCCO Handbook on Gender Responsive Law Enforcement; and a three-day pilot training with INTERPOL on gender-responsive leadership, Championing Change: Inclusive Leadership for Law Enforcement.
Jane has also developed strategic and policy advice on gender issues within policing — contributing to a report on sexual harassment in the workplace for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, and developing the Gender Equality Agenda and Action Plan 2021 – 23 for Kosovo Police, which addressed both internal strategies for women in policing and service delivery to women and girls in local communities. Most recently she provided technical advice for the Elsie Initiative funded research Advancing the Meaningful Participation of Women in UN Peace Operations by Supporting Personnel with Caring Responsibilities, led by Monash University, Australia.
Work 04 · Training design and delivery
Designing and delivering training courses
- MSc Security, Conflict and International Development
- Western Balkans
- Albania
- Kosovo
During her master's degree in Security, Conflict and International Development, Jane concentrated on gender issues. Her dissertation examined the impact of gender-responsive policing on women within law enforcement, on police organisations, and on the communities they serve in conflict-affected countries of the Western Balkans.
Building on those findings and her own lived experience, Jane designed and delivered training courses, tailored to each service, on the leadership and empowerment of women in policing, including operational command. Two programmes were subsequently delivered in Albania and Kosovo, after which several of the women officers who took part achieved promotion into leadership positions.
Work 05 · Gender-based violence
Working with victims and survivors of gender-based violence
- UN Women handbook — co-author
- EAPCCO handbook — author
- Bangladesh
- Cambodia
Throughout her police career Jane gained practical experience of working with victims and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and of investigating those crimes, including historical child abuse and sexual violence. She is co-author and global technical advisor for the implementation of the UN Women Global Handbook for Gender-Responsive Police Services for Women and Girls Subject to Violence — operationalising Module 3 of the Essential Services Package — and has supported its implementation in several countries, notably but not limited to Kosovo, Bangladesh, Egypt, Tanzania, Cambodia, Iceland and South Africa. She is the author of the EAPCCO (East African Police Chiefs Cooperation Council) Gender Responsive Law Enforcement Handbook, which includes a module on handling GBV, and has developed other GBV knowledge products including peer-to-peer guides for police middle managers and for first responders to violence against women and girls.
Two examples of GBV training built for the service that asked for it
- Bangladesh — Cox's Bazar and Dhaka. First-responder GBV training for Bangladesh Police officers based in Cox's Bazar and those responsible for the safety and security of the Rohingya refugee camps. Jane went on to train senior officers of the Bangladesh Police Armed Police Battalions to deliver the first-responder course she had developed, so that the capability was sustainable without her.
- Cambodia — Phnom Penh and three border districts. Training for police middle managers and first responders on community solutions to combatting GBV, together with an assessment of the Cambodia National Police domestic violence hotline's resource capacity, reporting findings and recommendations for improvement. Jane then developed and delivered GBV training tailored to hotline staff and mentored several participants into a GBV peer-to-peer group to cascade their learning. That group also supported her delivery of the community solutions training to officers in three border districts.
Work 06 · Published work
Publications
Peer-reviewed and institutional publications.
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P01
Women in Culture, Diversity and Criminal Justice — Towards Culturally Safe Criminal Justice Systems
Co-author Book chapter
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P02
Handbook on Gender Responsive Police Services for Women and Girls Subject to Violence (external)
Co-author Global guidance
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P03
Risks versus Transformational Opportunities in Gender-Responsive Security Sector Reform (external)
Co-author Research article
Jane's career record, areas of expertise and delivery within the consortium are on the member record. To commission work with Jane, talk to us.